Kansas City Shuffle
by The Cat Isis
Summary: Dean ends up in a parallel world, only he doesn’t know that this is what happened. To make matters worse, his ‘Parents’ begin to question his sanity. Updated with final Chapter!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Kansas City Shuffle Part 1 of ?

Rating: PG13 I suppose, for minor swearing

Characters: Dean, Sam, John, Mary

Notes: Thanks to a href"http://michelle2007. " Michelle2007 /a for the great beta job! No real episode warnings, but is AU in that Dean isn't really in Kansas anymore…

Disclaimers: I own nothing, I just like to play with what's not mine.

Summary: I suck at summaries but here goes. Dean ends up in a parallel world, only he doesn't know that this is what happened. To make matters worse, his 'Parents' begin to question his sanity.

**Kansas City Shuffle**

**Chapter 1**

John Winchester paced back and forth outside the door. At the sound of the door opening, he quickly turned and stepped towards the doctor who had just emerged.

"Can we see him now?" He asked anxiously.

The Doctor shook his head. "Well, I suppose you could, but I think it would be wise, if your wife stayed out here. We've got him sedated, but I'm afraid seeing her may send him into another fit. And you can only see him for a few minutes. Too long may also aggravate him."

Mary gave John a nod, and he sighed. He walked to the door, cast his wife another look before going inside. As soon as the door closed, his son started talking.

"Dad! You've got to get them to let me go, I have to get back to Sammy, he's in trouble dad! Tell them I'm not crazy and get them to let me go, ok?"

John sighed and sat down next to his eldest son. "Dean, your brother is fine, I told you, he's away at school, though when I talked to him last, he was going to come home as soon as he could. He should be here tomorrow. Then you'll see for yourself that Sam's fine."

"No dad! You're not listening to me; no one's listening to me! I'm not your Dean, and it's not your Sammy who's in danger! Why won't you people listen to me! He's got Sam and I have to help him and if you don't let me go he's going to kill Sam and then I'll kill you!" Dean was on his feet and halfway to the door before John had a chance to grab him. As he tried to get his son back to the bed, the door opened and the doctor and an orderly came in. Mary watched from the door as the 3 men shoved her son back onto the bed and injected him with something. Dean locked eyes with her as they did.

"Mom, you've got to see it, I'm not your Dean, please Mom...Sammy needs me...please..." His eyes closed as the drug finally took effect. John went to his wife and pulled her into a hug. She cried softly into his shoulder, as the orderly secured Dean to the bed with straps.

"Oh John, what happened to our boy?"

2 days earlier

"Dean! What a surprise! Come on in sweetie." Mary hugged her son, and then stepped aside so that he could come in. Shutting the door, she threw her arms around him again. It had been 7 months since she had seen him last. "So why the surprise visit? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you..." she trailed off as Dean set his duffle bag on the floor in the entry then went and sat down on the couch.

"Well, I was in the neighborhood so..." Dean flashed his best smile as he put his feet up on the coffee table.

"Dean Winchester you know better, feet off the table! Now spill, what's wrong son?" Mary swatted his boots off her table before sitting down on the couch next to him.

Dean sighed and leaned back, deliberately not looking at his mom. "I got fired...and the wedding is well...Oh god mom..." Dean sat forward, head in his hands. Mary wrapped an arm around her son's shoulders.

"Sweetheart what happened?"

"Don't say you told me so...ok? I know I should've listened to you, but well I thought you were wrong, but you weren't. I found her sleeping with my boss, in his office. I was fired after I punched him. And well, I went home long enough to grab some clothes, then I just started driving and well, here I am."

"Oh Dean, honey I wish I had been wrong. Well, why don't you go put your stuff in your room, I'll fix us some lunch, ok? When was the last time you ate?"

Dean stood and shook his head, mumbling, "Don't remember," as he picked up his duffle and headed up to his old room, now one of the guest rooms. He flopped down on the bed and buried his head in the pillow. Oh god had his life gone to hell in less than 24 hours. A day ago, he had been happily engaged to the woman of his dreams. Had a great paying job, with people that he liked. Now his world had collapsed in around him. And home had been the only place he could think to go. He wasn't looking forward to dinner though. His mom may not say she told him so, but his dad...He heard his mom calling him down for lunch, but he wasn't hungry. He just wanted to sleep and make it all go away.

When he didn't come down stairs, Mary went up to check on him. She found him sound asleep on the bed. She sighed, then grabbed a blanket from the closet and laid it over him. She closed the door and decided to let him sleep till dinner. From the sound of it he had driven straight through from New York.

At 5:30 p.m., John arrived home to find his son's Impala in his usual parking space. Sighing, he found a place to park on the side of the road, and walked up to the house, wondering what had prompted the visit from his oldest. He walked in to find Mary in the kitchen cooking.

"Hey there good lookin'!" He said as he hugged her from behind. She turned and hugged him back. "I take it Dean and Jess are visiting?"

Mary shook her head. "No, just Dean. Oh John, he's such a mess. He found Jess sleeping with his boss. He got fired after he punched the guy, then he drove straight here. He's been asleep since about 2."

John sighed. "Like we didn't see that one coming! I told him she was no good! But would he listen? No! Just packed up and moved out there with no friends, and no money. I'm surprised it lasted this long!"

"John Winchester, you go easy on your son, he's a real mess right now! We need to be supportive for him. That's what he needs. Now when he comes down for dinner, I want you to tell him he's welcome to stay here as long as he needs, is that clear?"

John sighed. Mary had her hands on her hip and her lips in a pout. Dean had inherited that from his mom and at a young age had found that his Dad couldn't really say no to that face. He nodded. "He can stay." was all he said, before heading to go wash up for dinner.

Dean woke up to the smell of his favorite food. Smiling to himself, he stretched, and then headed to the bathroom to get cleaned up. As he was walking down the hall, he saw his father walking up the stairs. "Hey son, mom sent me to get you for dinner. She made lasagna just for you, so I hope you've brought your appetite." Dean smiled at his dad and nodded before heading into the bathroom. John sighed and shook his head, then headed back down stairs. Dean arrived at the table a few minutes later, looking rather pathetic. His smile was forced as his mom updated him on his father's antics, his brother's college stuff, and her bridge points. He really wasn't hungry, but made himself eat 2 big helpings. This seemed to make Mary happy and that was a good thing. As Dean was finishing his second piece, John sat back and looked at him. Dean mentally groaned. _Oh God here it comes..._

"Well son, your mom filled me in on what happened. I want you to know that you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to. And, if you want, you can pick up some hours at the garage. Stan's on vacation for the next week and a half, so I'm down a man. And since you learned all you know about cars from your old man, you'll do just fine." He smiled at Dean and Dean smiled back.

_That wasn't as bad as I had thought_, he thought. "Thanks dad. What time do you want me to be up tomorrow?" He figured working on cars seemed a better thing than moping around the house with his mom.

"Well, normally I'd say we'd head to the shop around 6..." Dean groaned and his dad chuckled, "But I'll be nice and say we'll make it 8. Perks to being the boss I guess."

Dean smiled. "Thanks dad. I think I can be up and ready to go before 7 though." He finished up his dinner, and then took the dishes into the kitchen. His mom came bustling in and gave him a light shove. "Ok, now I can get those, why don't you go get some more sleep? Don't think you're dad will go easy on your first day. I'll make up some breakfast for you guys before you head out."

"Ok mom, I'll see you in the morning. Thanks for everything." he said, then gave her a hug. She smiled and hugged him tight. Then she rolled her sleeves up and gave him a look. "Now, off to bed with you!" He nodded and trudged upstairs. As he got ready for bed, he was hit by the sudden realization that his whole life was changed because of one instant. He pulled his laptop out of his bag and turned it on. He found 5 new emails, all from Jess. The first one started off with, "I know you're hurt but..." he didn't read anything beyond that, just hit delete and closed his laptop. He wanted to throw it across the room, but had enough sense to stop himself. Instead he set it on top of his duffle bag and shut the light off. He lay there curled up on his old bed, and for the first time in a very long time, he cried himself to sleep.

The next morning, John got up at his usual time and checked his son's room. Finding no sign of life from the lump on the bed, he headed down stairs. Mary was already up and working in the kitchen.

"Making you guys lunches. And there's sausage and biscuits for breakfast."

"Wow, I don't usually warrant that kind of treatment. Maybe having Dean around will be a good thing!" He grinned at his wife and gave her a kiss. They heard a thump from upstairs and John looked up. "Must've forgotten he was sleeping in a twin bed," he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Dean woke up slowly. He lay there for several minutes while he assessed things. Splitting headache, soft bed, crusty eyes, gotta pee. Ok I'm at the motel, except their beds weren't this soft. I was with Sam, and then I wasn't, and then there was a loud bang...that explains the headache...

He reached up to rub his eyes, and then slowly opened them to look around. It was at that point that he fell off the bed. He was in a bedroom, a room that was horribly familiar and yet not at the same time. But on the dresser that was at the foot of the bed was a picture. And that was what had sent him scrambling. It was him, when he was maybe 22, and a 18ish year old Sam, and his Dad, and his mom. His mom...and him...in the same picture...adult him...what the..."FUCK!" he yelled.

Mary frowned up at the ceiling. While she knew her boys cussed, they were usually good around her, and kept it to a bare minimum around their dad. There were some more thumps, followed by rapid steps down the stairs. The door to the kitchen burst open. Dean stood frozen in the doorway with a look of absolute shock on his face.

Mary and John both looked at him. "Forgot you were sleeping in a twin bed son?" John asked. Dean didn't reply, just continued to stare at them.

"Sweetie? Did you have a nightmare or something?" Mary asked, moving towards Dean. Dean backed up, threw his hands up palms facing outward.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You stay were you are! You…Um…I gotta…and you're not real…It's a sick dream, that's all…I gotta find Sam…SAM??" He turned towards the living room, shouting for his brother.

John and Mary shared a worried look. John had been afraid Dean wasn't going to deal well with his situation, but that had been a bit much. He walked after his son, who was now heading back up the stairs, still calling for his brother.

"SAM! Damnit Sammy where are you?? Rise and shine bro, we've got a problem! SAMMY!?!" John stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"Dean," he called up, "You're brother's away at school. Remember? He's at the University of Texas, getting his degree in Psychology. Dean? Why don't you come back downstairs, and have some coffee. We can talk about this, ok?"

Dean reappeared at the top of the stairs. "No offense dad, but I don't think you can help much. I gotta find Sammy. Something must've happened, it's either an illusion and I'm awake, in which case Sammy'll be here somewhere. Or, I'm unconscious somewhere, in which case Sammy'll have to find me and wake me up. So if you'll excuse me, I'll see about finding him, cause he'll be able to help me." Dean disappeared into his room. John ran up the stairs, and walked into his son's room. Dean was digging through his duffle bag and muttering to himself.

"Damnit! I can't even be allowed to have a gun? Not even my knife? Sheesh…ok we've got clothes, the laptop…wait…not Sammy's laptop, huh…that's interesting. Ok, so well, I'll just have to make a stop off at Pastor Jim's for supplies and…Oh god…keys, were are my keys…please let me have my baby still…" he dug around in his pockets till he found the keys to the Impala. "Oh thank you for at least giving me that!" he turned and saw John standing in the door way.

"Look, I'm sorry ok, but you're not real, so I'm gonna leave now, and well, it doesn't matter, because you're not real…so…um…yeah…" Dean walked towards the door but John didn't budge.

"Dean, I'm not letting you leave son. You're not yourself. Look, I know you're going through a tough time, but pretending it didn't happen isn't an option. Now, why don't you put your bag down and come down stairs. We'll have some breakfast and some coffee and talk about this."

Dean laughed at that. "Um…with all due respect, you're not a real thing. And neither is 'mom'. You're both fake and so no, I don't really want to sit and have breakfast. I know what you're doing; you're trying to get me to forget about Sammy. Well it's not going to happen ok? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find my brother. See, if you were really my dad, you'd understand that." Dean shoved his way past John. As he headed down the stairs, Mary appeared.

"Dean, honey, what's wrong? Were are you going?" As Dean side stepped around her, she grabbed his arm. "Dean, stop! Talk to me, what's going on?"

Dean yanked his arm away as if burned and then pushed her back against the stairs.

"Don't touch me!" He yelled as he backed away from her. "You're not my mother! You're not real, none of this is real! Leave me the hell alone!" And with that he turned and ran outside. John reached his wife's side and pulled her up.

"Mary? Are you ok?" He asked. He heard the sound of the impala starting, and then tearing out of the driveway. Mary nodded then threw her arms around her husband. "Oh John…what's wrong with our boy?"

John got his wife settled in the kitchen, then called the garage. "Jay…hey it's John, listen I've got a bit of a family emergency…no Mary's fine, it's my son Dean…anyway, I won't be in, at least not this morning. If you need anything call ok? Yeah I will. Bye."

"John, we have to find Dean…I think we should maybe call the police…James will be able to help us…" Mary trailed off. John nodded, and then called the local sheriff.

"James? Hey, it's John Winchester, sorry to call you this early. Look, Mary and I need your help. It's our son, Dean, our oldest…he's, well something's not right, and he took off this morning. When he did, he was saying some pretty crazy stuff, and we need to find him. Yeah. He's driving his Impala, yes. Yeah he takes good care of that car. Ok, I understand. Thank you James." He hung up, and then slumped back in his chair.

"James will call us when they find him."

Mary nodded, then went and got them both more coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Kansas City Shuffle Part 2 of ?

Rating: PG13 I suppose, for minor swearing

Characters: Dean, Sam, John, Mary

Notes: Thanks to a href"http://michelle2007. " Michelle2007 /a for the great beta job! No real episode warnings, but is AU in that Dean isn't really in Kansas anymore…

Disclaimers: I own nothing, I just like to play with what's not mine.

Summary: I suck at summaries but here goes. Dean ends up in a parallel world, only he doesn't know that this is what happened. To make matters worse, his 'Parents' begin to question his sanity.

**Kansas City Shuffle**

**Chapter 2**

After Dean left the house, he took off down the road. He dug around until he found a cell phone. First thing he noticed was that there were several missed calls, all from someone named Jess. He ignored that and scanned until he found his brother's number. With any luck, Sam was his Sam and he would know what to do. He hit the send button, as he turned onto the interstate. "Come on…come on! Pick up Sammy!" he muttered while he listened to the phone ring.

"Hey, you've got Sam, leave a message. BEEP."

"Sammy! Hey, it's Dean…man I hope you're you…listen I need you to call me ok? Cause things are…not right and you gotta be you and you gotta fix it. Ok? Call me!" He flipped his phone closed and sped up. He suddenly heard sirens behind him.

"Shit!"

He debated briefly flooring it, but decided a simple speeding ticket would be easier to deal with. After all, this wasn't real, and in no time, he would be gone, so what did he care? He eased the Impala off the road and cut the engine. He rolled the window down, and then waited while the young officer walked to the car.

"Mr. Winchester? I need for you to step out of the car."

"Is something wrong, Officer?" Dean asked, turning on the innocent look, while trying to decide between starting the car and bolting, or playing along. He supposed he could always bolt later. It would be nice if the cops weren't after him here as well. Wherever here happened to be.

"Please step out of the car, and keep your hands where I can see them."

"Ok, ok." Dean got out, and put both hands up and in front of him in a placating gesture. "Can I ask what this is about?"

"I need you to come with me, sir. Back to the station. Please turn around and put your hands behind your head." was his reply.

_Son of a bitch!_ Dean thought. His father had turned him into the cops. Never in a million years had he thought that was a possibility. His John Winchester would've rather fought a troll. Dean turned around, and the cop stepped towards him. Dean spun and lashed out with a kick. He needed this to end quickly, to prevent someone else from coming to the cop's aid. The kick had the desired effect. The cop hadn't seen it coming and it swept his feet out from under him. Dean followed him down and with just 2 well aimed punches, the cop was down for the count.

Dean jumped back up, pausing to grab the police scanner on his belt, and then turned back to his car. He heard the sound of tires screeching to a halt and shot a look over his shoulder. Another cop car had just pulled up, Shit! He was half in, half out of the car when he heard the distinctive sound of a shotgun being cocked, followed by the command, "Don't move!"

Dean Winchester had always been a rebel, especially when it came to authority figures. But the knowledge that he had a shotgun trained on him, held in the hands of someone who probably knew what they were doing stopped him dead.

"Now SLOWLY put your hands behind your head."

_Slowly...check..._Dean was also smart enough to keep his sarcastic remarks to himself. This guy could probably see his unconscious co-worker on the ground. Last thing he needed to do was make him any more angry.

"Now back away from the car. That's right. Now on your knees." Dean did as he was told. Maybe if he was lucky, Sam would get his message and come looking for him. Then they could figure out how to get out of this in one piece.

"Now DON'T MOVE!"

_Soooo not moving_, Dean thought. He felt someone take his right arm and put a handcuff on it. He idly wondered if it was Shotgun Guy. If so then he could disarm him easily enough but he didn't know if there had been 1 cop or 2 in that car. He hadn't looked long enough. His arm was twisted around behind his back, followed shortly with the other one. Once the cuffs were secure, he was shoved forward face first into the dirt.

"Don't you move a muscle while I check on him." Shotgun Guy said. _Damn_, Dean thought, _I could've taken him_. Oh well, too late for that.

"Bill? Bill can you hear me?" he glanced to the left and saw the cop kneeling next to his fallen friend. The cop Dean had knocked out groaned a little but didn't really stir. Dean heard the guy talking on his radio, and soon he was hauled to his feet. After a quick pat down he was shoved none-to-gently into the backseat of the second cop's car. Shotgun Guy then pulled out a cell phone.

"John? Hey it's James. We've got Dean, he knocked out Bill, but I think Bill'll be ok. I've got him in the car right now. No, he doesn't even act like he knows me. It's weird, it's like it is Dean, but it's not Dean. Well, I'd like to haul his ass in for assaulting one of my guys, but, I'll take him there instead. Yeah, straight up to the 6th floor. Ok, I'll see you there."

Dean frowned and wondered what they were talking about. 6th floor of what? James got side tracked when the ambulance arrived. By the time they were loading Bill in the back, he was awake, and not at all happy. James climbed into the car, and Dean suddenly realized they were planning on leaving the cop car, and his baby on the side of the road.

"Uh...excuse me...but what's going to happen to my car?" James looked at him in the rear view mirror.

"You knocked out one of my deputies, pushed around your own mother, and you're worried about your car? What the hell's gotten into you man?"

Dean sighed. "Look, I can explain everything, but really, what's gonna happen to her?"

"You're father is sending a tow truck to haul it to his garage."

"Oh thank god, he'll take good care of it. It was his first after all." Dean sat back a little, and then scooted around, trying to get comfortable.

"And yet you told your dad that he wasn't real. And that your mom wasn't your mom. What's up with that Dean? We've known each other since elementary school, yet you're acting like you don't even know me. What's going on with you?"

Dean groaned. This just kept getting worse and worse. They'd known each other since school? What the hell? He could understand having his parents be there, but why go to the hassle of creating other people who knew him? Perhaps that meant it was more like a dream than an illusion. Which would be bad because then Sam wouldn't be his Sam.

"Look, you don't know me, I don't know you. If I could just talk to Sam, he might be able to explain things better. He's the one who's good at the talking and explaining part. So where are we going? What's on the 6th floor?" Dean looked intently at James, trying to think if he was familiar at all. But he wasn't.

"Sam is at school Dean, but I'm sure John will be getting a hold of him." The ambulance in front of them pulled into a hospital. James followed it in. Dean figured he wanted to check on Bill, so he was surprised when James opened the back door. "Let's go."

"Uh…I'll wait in the car. You don't really need me there to check on your guy. Promise, I won't even try to run." Dean hoped that if he could get James to trust him, he would at least take off the cuffs.

James hauled him out of the car. "Nope, come on."

Dean pulled back slightly. "Do I have to have the cuffs on? I mean…couldn't you take them off?"

James sighed. "We'll move them to the front," was his compromise. Once Dean had his hands re-cuffed in front of him, James lead the way into the hospital. They bypassed the ER though, and headed towards an elevator. Once inside, James pushed the 6th floor button. Dean felt a knot forming in his gut. When the doors opened, Dean wished like hell he had never stopped for the cop in the first place. There was a large sign as they stepped off the elevator, with the words "Psychiatric Ward" clearly displayed. As James took his arm to pull him forward, Dean pulled back once again, harder this time.

"Wait…what's going on? Why are we here?" he spotted John and Mary off to one side, talking with a doctor.

"Come on Dean, don't make this worse, ok? I don't like this, but something's wrong with you man. So we're bringing you in for a mandatory 3 day stay. After that it's up to the doctor. Now come on." James tugged on his arm again, and this time Dean stumbled along.

What the hell was going on? He was now sure that this was a dream. It seemed to elaborate to be an illusion. So was he knocked unconscious, or was this induced somehow? And how long had it really been?

Dean was lead into a room, where James took the cuffs off. The doctor that his parents had been talking to walked in. Dean obligingly sat down on the exam table that was in the room.

"Dean, I'm Dr. Stern. You're parents are very concerned about you."

_Ok…how do I handle this…I could pretend like I'm their Dean, just to get out of here, or I could be difficult and get stuck in here…but does it matter? If this is all a dream, I have to work on waking myself up. So what happens here doesn't really matter._

"…going on."

Dean looked up. "I'm sorry…what?" Dean suddenly realized the doctor had been talking to him.

"Let's talk about what's going on. Let's start with what happened when you woke up this morning."

"Yeah about that, look I had a bad start to the day. And, well, I'm better now, so can I just go home? I mean, I'm sorry about punching that cop and all, but really, I'm feeling much better."

"Better or not, you're here for 3 days, so why don't you tell me what prompted the outburst you had this morning?"

Dean shifted uncomfortably. He really wanted to talk to Sam. He was pretty sure that Sam wouldn't be his Sam, but at least then he'd know one way or another.

"Look, can I talk to my brother? I just want to talk to Sammy. I...I woke up this morning with this feeling like he was in trouble. Like he needed my help, ya know? So could I please talk to Sammy?"

"So you had a feeling your brother was in danger? That's why you took off and assaulted a police officer?"

Dean sighed. Ok, this was getting annoying. He really would like to wake up and get this over with. He stood up, and looked around.

"Ok...you've had your laugh! This was fun, but now it's not! I'd like to be home now...you know? There's no place like home and all that! SAMMY wake me up now, please??" Dean was too busy trying to get the attention of Sam, or someone that he didn't notice the nice large orderly with the rather nasty looking needle.

John Winchester rule number 5, never turn your back on your opponent. Dean had always had a really bad time remembering that one. He remembered it too late, as he felt a needle slid into his arm.

"Son of a bitch!" He turned, but the orderly was already pushing him back onto the bed. "What the fuck was that?"

"Just a little something to help you calm down." The doctor replied.

"Calm? I'll show you calm! I'm perfectly calm! I just have to wake up, then it'll all be ok! So see, I'm just fine. I don't need help calming down."

The orderly held him down as he was given another shot. This one took effect almost instantly. Dean felt his muscles relax to the point that he didn't think he could move. His mind became fuzzy, and then there was nothing.

Sam was lecturing him on his inability to keep his hands to himself. Which was weird because he hadn't touched anything. Then suddenly Sam let out a yell, and was yanked out of the room they were standing in. But he didn't move. He watched Sam disappear, then let out a whimper...he whimpered??? What the f...

He blinked and it was light out. The memory of what he had just seen hit him hard. Sam was in danger, something had him, and he hadn't helped, he hadn't even tried. Why hadn't he gone after his brother, and why had Sam been lecturing him? What had he touched? He heard the door open and looked up to see John walk in.

"Dad! You've got to get them to let me go, I have to get back to Sammy, he's in trouble dad! Tell them I'm not crazy and get them to let me go, ok?"

John sighed and sat down next to his eldest son. "Dean, your brother is fine, I told you, he's away at school, though when I talked to him last, he was going to come home as soon as he could. He should be here tomorrow. Then you'll see for yourself that Sam's fine."

"No dad! You're not listening to me; no one's listening to me! I'm not your Dean, and it's not your Sammy who's in danger! Why won't you people listen to me! He's got Sam and I have to help him and if you don't let me go he's going to kill Sam and then I'll kill you!" Dean was on his feet and halfway to the door before John had a chance to grab him. As he tried to get his son back to the bed, the door opened and the doctor and an orderly came in. It took all 3 men to get him back onto the bed. Once again, Dean felt a needle enter his arm. He locked eyes with Mary as they did.

"Mom, you've got to see it, I'm not your Dean, please Mom...Sammy needs me...please..." His eyes closed as the drug finally took effect.

John went to his wife and pulled her into a hug. She cried softly into his shoulder, as the orderly secured Dean to the bed with straps.

"Oh John, what happened to our boy?"


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Kansas City Shuffle Part 3 of ?  
Rating: PG13 I suppose, for minor swearing Characters: Dean, Sam, John, Mary Notes: Thanks http://michelle2007. for the great beta job! No real episode warnings, but is AU in that Dean isn't really in Kansas anymore…  
Disclaimers: I own nothing, I just like to play with what's not mine.  
Summary: I suck at summaries but here goes. Dean ends up in a parallel world, only he doesn't know that this is what happened. To make matters worse, his 'Parents' begin to question his sanity. 

**Kansas City Shuffle  
Chapter 3**

Sam was pinned to a wall, and not looking very happy. He was shouting at Dean to run.

Like hell, Dean thought to himself. Yet he suddenly turned and took off running. What the fuck was he doing? Sam obviously needed help and yet he was running? He opened the front door and was about to step out, when he himself was yanked backwards. He screamed, only stopping when he was pinned to the wall next to his brother.

"Don't worry Dean, I'll figure a way to get us out of here, ok? Just stay calm man," Sam told him.

Why is Sam re-assuring him? Of course they'll get out of there, and he'll be the one to do it. Yet he could feel himself shaking with fear. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he found he was in a stark white room.

He blinked rapidly, and reached up to rub at his eyes. Or at least he tried to, but found that his arms wouldn't move. He glanced down, hm…he was strapped to the bed, but not in a good kinky sex kinda way. More like the keep you from leaving your hospital bed way. Damnit! He closed his eyes, wanting to get back to Sam. He heard the door open, and opened his eyes, to see Sam standing in the doorway.

"Sammy?" His voice sounded rough to him, and he cleared his throat. He wasn't sure how long he had been out. Sam took a hesitant step into the room, shutting the door behind him. Then he looked around, before moving to sit in the chair next to the bed. He sat on the edge of the chair and looked at his brother. Dean couldn't tell if this was his Sam, or not.

"So, I um…got your message," Sam started out. "And, I talked with dad, mom, and your doctor. As you can see, Dean, I'm ok. Nothing's wrong with me."

Dean felt his heart sink. This wasn't his Sam. Damnit it wasn't Sammy. He closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the Sam that wasn't Sam.

"Dean, I want you to tell me the truth, ok? What's going on in that head of yours?"

Dean let out a bitter laugh. "What's the point? Everyone's convinced I'm crazy, and if I try to tell them otherwise, they'll just say I'm lying. So why should I tell you anything?"

"Dean, we're all worried about you. We want to help but you have to tell us what's going on before we can do that." Sam sat back, and stared at his brother.

Yesterday, he had gotten out of a class and turned his phone on to find that he had three messages. The first one had stopped him dead in his tracks. It had been his dad, saying that something was wrong with Dean and that Sam needed to call home immediately. And also, if Dean called, Sam was not to answer the call, just let it go to voice mail and let Dean leave a message. Then there had been the strangest message from his brother.

"Sammy! Hey, it's Dean…man I hope you're you…listen I need you to call me ok? Cause things are…not right and you gotta be you and you gotta fix it. Ok? Call me!"

The third had been from his dad again. "Sam, we've found Dean. He's at the hospital, he's ok, but he's not himself. Give us a call ok? I think you may need to come home son."

Sam had been on a flight the next day. When he got there, he found his brother drugged unconscious and strapped to a bed. His mom was a mess, his dad not much better. After talking with the doctor, it was decided that they would let Sam talk to Dean. Since Dean's main concern had been Sam, they hoped that seeing his brother might snap him out of whatever had happened.

He saw Dean glance around and his eyes settled on the pitcher of water at the foot of the bed. Sam stood up and poured a glass, then brought it over to his brother. Dean took a long drink out of the straw, and then leaned back.

Sam set the glass on the table next to the bed, and then returned to his chair. He thought it odd that Dean didn't thank him, but kept it to himself.

"Look, Sam, I appreciate your concern, ok? I really do, but what I need to do is get out of here. Any guesses as to how I do that?"

Sam sighed. "You're here for a minimum of 3 days. What you need to do is tell the doctor what's going on, why you acted the way you did, so that we can try to help you. If he feels it necessary, he'll keep you longer. They said you were worried about me, that you thought I was in danger. Why did you think that?"

Because you are, Dean wanted to yell, but instead he sighed. "I don't know I just felt like you were. I thought that I needed to help you. They're not gonna let me go are they Sammy? Even if they let me leave the hospital, I hit that cop, they'll arrest me right?"

So far, his brother had called him Sammy 3 times, once on the phone, and twice here. That was a very un-Dean like thing, since no one in his family had called him that since he was a kid. And then there was the fact that Dean hadn't thanked him for getting him the water. Again, that was something Dean should've done automatically.

"Both Bill and James have known you forever Dean. They just want you to get better. I'm sure that Bill won't press charges. They are just as concerned about you as we are." The door opened and the doctor took a few steps in. Sam stood up and started to walk out. He paused at the door and looked back at his brother. "Dean, talk to him, ok? He can help you, really." Sam left, and the doctor took the chair that Sam had just been in.

"As you can see Dean, your brother is just fine. Now why don't you tell me what happened yesterday morning? Let's start with the first thing you felt when you woke up?"

Um…let's see, saw a picture of me, my brother, and my dead parents looking happy and the day just went to hell after that!

"I told you, I woke up feeling like something was wrong with Sam. I guess I over-reacted a bit, and that's all. I'm feeling much better and would really like to just go home."

Well the last part was the truth. He'd give anything to get out of this damned bed and out of this damned hospital.

"Well, unfortunately, you're here for a few days. In the mean time, I'd like to talk to you about Jessica. Why don't you tell me what happened with her?"

Dean was pretty sure he had the deer caught in the headlights look on his face. Why was the doctor asking about his brother's dead girlfriend? The answer was simple, it had to be a demon! Oh fucking hell why was this happening? With his hands strapped down he didn't stand a chance, so he shouldn't push his luck just yet. He needed to play along, just for a little bit longer. If he could get his hands free, then…he'd do what? He didn't have any Holy Water, nor did he have an exorcism memorized. His only hope would be getting out of the hospital and to a computer so he could look one up. But how many demons were there? What about Sam and his parents? Were they possessed too?

"I'd rather not talk about that, ok?" He said, hoping that he could put the doctor off long enough to figure out what was going on.

"And, I promise now that I'm going to behave, so could I get these off? They're really uncomfortable. I won't try to run again, really." Dean used his 'I'm innocent, you can trust me' smile and was rewarded with the doctors nod.

"Ok, we'll take them off for now." He undid the straps to both his arms and legs, then sat back down.

"Ok Dean, now back to Jessica. I understand that you don't want to talk about that, but I really must insist. That seems to be what started all of this, so why don't you tell me about what happened."

Dean sat up a little, and debated his options. Finally settling on his best course of action, Dean sighed. "Christo," he said.

"I'm sorry?" the doctor looked a bit confused.

"Uh…Christo?" Dean sighed as he got no reaction from the doctor. Damnit what was going on? If it wasn't a demon then what was it?

"Dean I…" the doctor's pager went off. "I've got to cut this short, but I'll be back in a while." He stood up and walked to the door. "This door will be locked, so don't think you can get out."

Dean heard the door being locked. He lay there for a few moments, before heading over and examining the door. He didn't have much to work with, as his wallet and everything else in his pockets had been taken from him at some point. A quick glance around the room told him there wasn't much in there he could use either. Aside from the bed and chair, there was a small nightstand next to the bed, a rolling table at the foot of the bed, and a light on the ceiling in the center of the room. He looked back at the door and wanted to punch something in frustration. They had made it impossible to get out without it being unlocked from the other side. As he stood there contemplating trying several well placed kicks, he heard it unlock. He stumbled backwards as the door opened. Sam walked in, looking startled when he saw Dean so close to the door.

"Hey," Sam said as he shut the door behind him. He continued to stand by the door, looking at Dean.

"What, you gonna guard the door against me Sammy? I'm not gonna run, I just gotta pee man."

Sam debated for a moment, before nodding, "Ok, let's go." Dean followed Sam out the door and down the hall. Sam made sure to keep his brother beside him, figuring in case Dean tried to run, he'd be able to grab him. The restroom was just a short walk, and Sam followed Dean in.

"Christ, I can't even take a piss alone? What do you think I'm going to do? Slit my wrists with toilet paper?" Dean gave his brother a give-me-a-break look, but Sam just folded his arms across his chest and stood there.

"Ok fine suit yourself." Once Dean was done, and had washed and dried his hands, he and Sam walked back to his room. Once inside, Dean took his place sitting on the bed, while Sam sat down on the chair. Dean took another drink of water before settling back onto the bed.

"So, are you and the doctor playing good cop, bad cop? Now that you're here am I supposed to spill my guts and tell you everything?" Dean looked at his brother with one eyebrow raised.

Sam shook his head. "No, I just wanted to visit. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. But I would really like it if you opened up a little. We could always talk about anything Dean. What's different now? You're closed off and it's not like you. Remember how we used to stay up late at night talking about everything? The girl you liked in high school, you giving me pointers on how to ask Jane out to the high school dance. I'd really like it if you would just please talk to me again. What happened? I mean, I know what mom and dad told me, but I want to hear it from you."

Dean groaned and ran a hand over his face. What the hell? It was bad enough that he had Sam acting like he was his brother, but all this was getting very old very quick. Why was this dream not ending, and why was it so elaborate to have included an entire history that everyone else knew but him? He wondered if he should even try to play along or if he should just wait it out and concentrate on waking up. But he felt like he needed to just get out of this place, like he was somehow in the wrong time, and he couldn't fix it if he was in this hospital. So he needed to figure out a way to rationally explain his behavior. He debated several different scenarios. It was obvious that they weren't buying the concerned brother routine. So he needed to go for something else. First, he needed to figure out this missing piece that everyone but him knew.

"Uh, when you say that mom and dad told you, what exactly did they tell you? I mean, about Jess…?" He hoped his brother would bite, and give him some kind of information. When Sam leaned back in the chair, Dean knew he had gotten his wish.

"Ok, I understand how it might be difficult for you to talk about, so here's what mom told me. You found Jess having sex with your boss in his office. You then punched him, got fired, and packed a bag and headed home. Then you woke up, and went a little crazy. So what happened when you woke up Dean?"

Whoa…ok, so not what he was expecting to hear! Um…ok, so he apparently was in a relationship with a girl named Jess. She cheated on him and he ran home? Hm…no wonder they thought that was the cause of his outburst. Ok…well if he was depressed then maybe he could use alcohol as an excuse. No…that wouldn't really work, because he hadn't been drunk. Drugs on the other hand, that might be an option. Maybe this Dean Winchester that they were thinking he was had been a bit of a rebel, though it didn't sound like it. Still it was his best bet.

"I…um…well, I didn't want to tell the doctor, or the cops, but I um…tried this drug. I was so upset about Jess, I just couldn't take the pain, and a friend had given it to me. I guess it screwed me up worse than I thought it would. I just wanted something to numb the pain, ya know?"

Shit he isn't gonna buy it, Dean thought when he saw the look on Sam's face.

"What drug was it Dean?" Sam asked calmly.

"Oh, um, not really sure. A friend of mine gave it to me, said it'd help me relax. Guess he was wrong, I've heard that sometimes they re-act differently in different people."

Sam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Wow, I never would've thought you'd do something that stupid, Dean. I mean, I know that one time in high school you tried weed, but after you went all paranoid, you swore you'd never touch anything like it again. But it makes sense now, you were having a bad reaction to the drug, made you paranoid. Do you have anymore?"

Dean wanted to grin, but held it in check. Instead he went for what he hoped was contrite and apologetic. "No…it was just this one tablet and I took it when I woke up. I mean, I woke up early in the morning and I took it. And then I guess I fell back asleep because when I woke up again, it was like I was in the wrong place, and everything was wrong. Oh man, you're not gonna tell mom and dad are you?" Dean choked out the last part, but he had a feeling it was something he was supposed to say.

"I'm sorry man, but I have to. And I'll tell your doctor. I really can't believe you were that stupid, Dean. Look, I'm going to go talk to your doctor, but I'm pretty sure that we'll be able to take you home tomorrow. You still need to talk to him though, he'll want to make sure everything's ok with you." Sam stood up, and walked to the door. Once it was closed behind him, Dean heard the lock engage.

"Oh hell, where am I and how the hell did I get myself here?" Dean tried to remember anything prior to waking up in the bed, but he had nothing. He sighed and figured he would wait for the doctor to come talk to him. One person down, one more to go before he could walk out of here a free man.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Kansas City Shuffle Part 4 of 6

Rating: PG13 I suppose, for minor swearing

Characters: Dean, Sam, John, Mary

Notes: Thanks http://michelle2007. for the great beta job! No real episode warnings, but is AU in that Dean isn't really in Kansas anymore…

Disclaimers: I own nothing, I just like to play with what's not mine.

Summary: I suck at summaries but here goes. Dean ends up in a parallel world, only he doesn't know that this is what happened. To make matters worse, his 'Parents' begin to question his sanity.

**Kansas City Shuffle**

**Chapter 4**

Armed with the information his brother had unknowingly given him, and the story he had come up with, the next visit with the doctor was a little easier. Lying was almost second nature to him, so he looked at it as though he were working a case. He found the words coming easier to him once he got going. It was no time at all before the doctor had left, apparently satisfied with his answers, and he had gotten some food.

Hospital food wasn't exactly something he enjoyed, but it was food none the less and he ate hungrily. After he finished, he decided since he wasn't exactly allowed to leave, that he'd take a nap. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, he heard the door open. Snapped back awake, he looked up and felt his heart lodge somewhere in the area of his throat.

Mary walked in, smiling at her son. After talking with both Sam and the doctor, she was very relieved that they would be able to take Dean home tomorrow. She walked in and sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"Hey sweetheart, how are you feeling today?" she asked, as she leaned over to kiss Dean on the forehead.

Dean couldn't move, couldn't speak. This was his mother, and yet it wasn't. He had to be in hell, that was all there was to it. He had died, and this was his hell. He didn't get some fire pit, he got a home. Only it wasn't his home, it was some home he had never been a part of. It took all his willpower not to flinch when she kissed him on the forehead. He could do this, he really could.

"I'm..." his voice cracked a bit, and he cleared his throat. "I'm doing better. I'm just a little tired."

"Well, the doctor said there shouldn't be any problems with taking you home tomorrow. Your father and I will be picking you up at noon. Sam will be staying for the rest of the weekend. He said he doesn't need to be back to class until Tuesday."

Dean closed his eyes and prayed for sleep, or death, or well, anything other than listening to his mother talk.

"Well sweetie you're tired, so I'll let you get your rest. We'll pick you up tomorrow." Mary again leaned down and kissed her son's forehead. After Dean heard the door close he opened his eyes. A stray tear found its way from the corner of his eye.

I can't do this, he thought. I can't pretend like this is where I belong. As soon as I get out of this damned hospital, I'm gonna have to try to figure out where I am, and how the hell I can get back to Sammy. My Sammy.

Dean drifted off to sleep hoping for more of a glimpse of his Sam.

The remaining time Dean spent in the psych ward of the hospital went by rather quickly. He met with the doctor two more times, was given a prescription for some drug he had no plans on taking, and all too quickly he was standing out front getting into a car with John and Mary. And he had to fight the overwhelming urge to bolt.

The drive to the house was rather quiet. Dean found out his car had been towed to John's garage, and had gotten a free tune up while it was there. They would go tomorrow to get it. Mary was making a pot-roast for dinner. They would be eating around 6, so Dean would have time to get settled in. Dean kept his replies short, and as soon as he was home, he retreated to his upstairs room. The first thing he did was a sweep of the room, piling all pictures that included Mary or John in the corner of the closet. Once that was done, he sat down on his bed, with a pen and a pad of paper. Might as well start trying to figure out what was going. He hadn't written much when there was a knock on the door. He set the paper down on the bed, "Yeah?" Sam opened the door and set a bag down on the floor just inside the room.

"Hey, I thought you might want your bag, so I went and got it from your car." Sam leaned against the doorframe.

"Oh, thanks. Say, is there a yellow pages around here anywhere?" Sam cocked his head to one side, in a look that Dean knew all to well. He instantly knew he had done something wrong. Probably should've known where the yellow pages were. But thankfully, all Sam said was, "Yeah, downstairs in the kitchen." and turned and walked down the hall, leaving his door open. Dean sighed and got up, making it into the hallway in time to see Sam disappear into a bedroom (presumably his). Dean headed down stairs and found his father was watching TV, while his mom was working in the kitchen. He almost went back upstairs, but decided he really wanted the phone book. He had a very important phone call to make, and he wanted to make it before dinner. In the kitchen, he found his mom cutting up vegetables.

"Hey, I just needed the phone book," he said when she looked up. He saw it on the counter top below the phone. Grabbing it, he disappeared back upstairs as quickly as he could. He opened the phone book, and flipped quickly to the section he wanted. He then went to his bag and dug around for his phone. As he dialed the number, he wondered if this was a good idea or not.

"Hello?" he heard after the second ring.

"Hi, Missouri?" he asked.

"Yes, who's this?"

"Uh...you don't know me, at least I don't think you do. My name is Dean Winchester. John Winchester's son. Do you know me?" he mentally kicked himself for sounding like an idiot.

"No, I don't, should I?"

"No...I guess not, look I'm sorry to bother you." Dean flipped his phone closed and tossed it on the bed. He wondered what it would take to get out of eating dinner.

Sam had the overwhelming urge to hit his head against the desk in the motel room. The morning had been nice enough. He and Dean had gone to check out these ruins that were supposedly haunted. They split up, which had been their first mistake. When Sam had found Dean again, he had been unconscious. He had woken up after only a few minutes and that's when Sam's day had gone to hell. See, it was his brother, yet it wasn't. His first thought had been shape shifter, or perhaps Dean was possessed, but he quickly disregarded that. No, he was pretty sure that this was Dean, all be it an altered version of him. After a brief interruption by the angry spirit, Sam had convinced Dean to return to the hotel. Mostly by letting him drive. This Dean drove more carefully than his Dean, so it took longer to get back to the hotel. Once there, Dean had freaked out. Apparently, the sight of a duffle bag full of guns and knives instead of clothes had been enough to send him over the edge. He had been freaking out ever since.

"Ok, Dean look, I need you to calm down, ok? We're gonna figure this out, but you have to calm down and help me."

"Calm down??? I was just thrown into a wall and held there, by something invisible! And you want me to calm down? No! I won't be calm! Who the hell are you and don't tell me you're Sam, because you are not Sam!"

"No, I'm not 'your' Sam! And you're not my Dean! Something happened back there, I don't know what but we'll figure it out, and then I'll get you back to your home, and get my Dean back here! So what we're going to do is go back to the beginning and start from where I found you."

"Wait, go back to that place, with the thing that pinned us to the wall? Are you nuts??"

Sam took a deep breath, and reminded himself that this was not the Dean he knew, and therefore it would be wrong to get mad at him. "Yes, something happened there, and we need to figure out what it is. To do that, we need to check out the area where I found you. You have a bad habit of...well...not keeping your hands to yourself."

"I didn't do anything! I'm not going back there! I'm going home, and then I'm going to forget this whole thing!"

"Where exactly is home? Because I can assure you that wherever you think is home, it doesn't exists here."

"Home, you know, in Kansas, where mom and dad are living. Where I was asleep in my bed, right before I woke up in this insane place!" Dean had crossed the room, and was taking the weapons out of the duffle bag. Sam almost laughed at the way he handled them. Like they might bite him if he touched them.

"Oh, yeah right. Well, the problem with that is that mom died when you were 4, and dad died about 8 months ago. I bet that'll make finding that home of yours a little difficult. Now will you stop touching those, you're making me nervous, cause I'm damned sure you don't know what the hell you're doing. Now we can wait until the morning to go back out there, or we can go there now, take some pictures while it's still light out, and then come back here and I can start trying to figure out what the hell you did. Er...Dean did."

Dean had stopped his unpacking and turned to look at Sam. "What do you mean they're dead? I had dinner with them last night..."

Oh good grief, Sam thought. Well it seemed as though this Dean was just as slow and thick headed as his was sometimes. "Yeah, in whatever world you came from maybe. But here, they're both dead. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get going while it's still light out. We just need a few more supplies to take care of that problem."

Armed with a bit more than when he and his brother first set out, Sam once again handed Dean the keys. This time, he shook his head. "No, I think you should drive. I'm not feeling very well." As they drove out to the site, Sam wondered where his Dean was and how he was handling things.

"Boys, dinners ready! Get washed up and come on down!" John yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Dean looked up, but didn't budge. He had decided he simply was going to ignore them. He'd already started doing some research on his laptop, but it was slow going. It would be easier if he could just make a few phone calls, but he didn't want to risk that. One, because he didn't want anyone here to overhear him, and two, because he wasn't sure the people he was calling would know who he was. He wasn't even sure if they would even be them. Hell, maybe there wasn't anything evil here, and maybe there were no hunters. As he looked through another webpage that gave him absolutely nothing, he heard the door open. He looked up and Sam was standing there.

"Hey, dinner's ready. Come on." Sam looked at him expectantly.

"I'm not feeling hungry, ate at the hospital. I'm fine. You guys eat without me." He looked back at his laptop.

"Dean, you can't avoid us. It's better if you just face up to things and come downstairs. We're not going to look at you differently. What you did was stupid, yes, but we're your family. It's ok to do stupid things every once in a while. Now come on, mom'll be very disappointed if you miss dinner. She made it just for you."

Dean closed his eyes and counted to 10. He wanted to scream that he didn't give a crap what they thought, or that she would be disappointed, but he couldn't do that. He had a very bad feeling that if he didn't go down there, at least for a bit, that they were going to keep bugging him. Sighing, he closed his laptop and headed downstairs after his brother.

Dinner was awkward to say the least. Dean kept his eyes on his food and his answers short.

"More bread sweetie?" Mary asked, holding up a basket of rolls.

Without looking up, Dean took one and dipped it into the juice on his plate. The food was the best he'd ever had, and yet he wanted to go throw it all up.

"Son, are you ok? You're looking a little pale." John asked.

Dean shook his head. "Just tired. I think I'm going to go sleep, but thanks for the food." He was up the stairs before anyone could react.

"Well, at least he ate something. Sam, did you get that prescription filled? Maybe you should talk to him about that. What was it for again, anyway?" Mary looked at the plate Dean had left behind with a bit of a frown.

"It's for anxiety, it would help to calm him. I'll talk to him, but I'm not sure that he'll take it."

Sam helped to clear off the table, then headed upstairs to check on his brother. He found the door closed, so knocked as he went to open it. This time he found it locked. Frowning slightly he knocked again.

"What? Can't a guy get a little peace around here?"

"It's me, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sam heard Dean stomping over to the door.

"Talk talk talk, all they want to do is talk. This is so unhealthy." is what he thought he heard Dean mutter before the door was swung open with a little more force than was needed.

"OK, so talk Sammy. What is it that is so pressing we have to talk?" Sam held up the prescription bottle.

"I want to talk to you about this. It's what the doctor prescribed for you. It'll help with anxiety, help to calm you down. You can take 1 every 6 hours, or you can only take it if you need it." Dean started shaking his head.

"Dude, I don't need drugs. So you can take those right back to where you found them. I'm just fine, ok? Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some research to finish." He started to push the door close, but Sam blocked it.

"Take them or not, will you at least keep them here? In case you change your mind. It will make you a little tired, so maybe just take one before you go to sleep."

Dean reluctantly took the bottle, and tossed it into his duffle bag. No way in hell he was going to be taking those things. He managed to get the door closed and locked again, then went back to his laptop. Everything he was finding was all conspiracy stuff. Nothing real. He needed to get out, make a few phone calls. Maybe try Bobby or Caleb. He pulled on his shoes...tennis shoes for crying out loud. His choice in clothing looked more like what Sammy liked than what he was comfortable in. He snatched up his phone, and a notepad and pen, then jogged down the stairs. He was almost out the door when John appeared.

"Where are you off to Dean?" he asked.

"I need some fresh air, wanted to go for a walk. Is that ok? Or am I on house arrest?" He thought he probably sounded angrier than he needed to, but he really wanted to get away from the house.

"No, you can go for a walk, what is the paper for though?"

"I thought I would write a letter to Jess. There's some things we have to finish up." Dean gave his father a look that read, I hurt, I don't want to talk, please can I go?

It seemed to work as John nodded. "Just don't stay out too long." He went back to sitting and watching TV.

Once outside, Dean walked a block down, where he found a bench on the side of the road. There was a streetlamp near by, so he didn't have to worry about light. Sitting down, he stared at his phone. Was it really smart to do this? Well, he supposed he didn't really have a choice. So he reluctantly looked at his page, and dialed the first number that he had. It was for the roadhouse. After 3 rings, Ellen picked up.

"Hi...uh, is this Ellen? Ok, hi, you don't know me, but my name is Dean Winchester. And well, I have a kind of crazy question, but do you know anything about hunters, and people like that who hunt supernatural stuff? Uh, hello? Shit!" Dean closed his phone and stared at it. Apparently in this world, Ellen hadn't had a husband who was a hunter. Maybe there weren't any, but he doubted that. He moved onto the next number he had. The phone rang 4 times before he got a voicemail.

"Leave a message," was all it said.

"Hi...this is Dean Winchester and I'm trying to reach Bobby. If you could call me back at 515.555.1149 I'd really appreciate it. It's sort of urgent. Thanks." Dean hung up. His next number answered on the first ring.

"Yes?"

"Is this Caleb?"

"Yes. Who wants to know?"

"Well, my name is Dean Winchester, but you don't know me. Listen, I was wondering if you...man this is a long shot, but do you by any chance hunt supernatural creatures?"

There was a long pause, and Dean was afraid that he may have been hung-up on for a second time. Finally, he heard a sigh on the other end of the line.

"Yes, why, do you have something that you need taken care of?"

"Oh thank God! Ok, no see, I'm a hunter. Only I don't belong here. I woke up and I'm not where I'm supposed to be. See my brother and I were on a hunt, and then suddenly I was in this bed. And the people here are my parents but where I'm from my parents are dead. And these people are very much alive and they think I'm their son but I'm not. I don't have any idea what's going on, but I hoped that some of the hunters I know might still be hunters here and you are. So is there any way you might have come across something like this?" Dean, realizing he was rambling, quickly shut up.

"No, I can't say that I've ever heard of anything like this. Who are some of the other people you are trying to get a hold of?"

"Bobby, and Pastor Jim, and I was thinking of visiting this psychic here in town. I tried calling Ellen at the Roadhouse, but she didn't know what I was talking about, so she hung up on me."

"Ok, let me give you a number for a guy, he might be able to help."

Dean wrote down the name and number of the guy Caleb had recommended. He then thanked him and hung up. He called, but got a voicemail, so left a brief message. After that, he called Pastor Jim's number, but found it was disconnected.

He sat there for a minute, wondering if he should go home. But then he decided on one more phone call. The phone was answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Missouri? This is Dean Winchester again."

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if maybe I could stop by tomorrow afternoon. I have a problem and I think you may be the only one who can help."

"Well I suppose. I'm free tomorrow after 3."

"Ok I'll see you then." He hung up. Feeling slightly better, as he was pretty sure Missouri would recognize that he wasn't supposed to be here, he headed home. Just as he walked in the front door, his phone rang. He answered it and headed up to his room.

"Hello?"

"Is this Dean?"

"Yes, is this Jason?"

"Yes, I got your message and I also got a call from Caleb. So tell me what you think is going on."


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Kansas City Shuffle Part 5 of 6

Rating: PG13 I suppose, for minor swearing

Characters: Dean, Sam, John, Mary

Notes: Thanks http://michelle2007. for the great beta job! No real episode warnings, but is AU in that Dean isn't really in Kansas anymore…

Disclaimers: I own nothing, I just like to play with what's not mine.

Summary: I suck at summaries but here goes. Dean ends up in a parallel world, only he doesn't know that this is what happened. To make matters worse, his 'Parents' begin to question his sanity.

**Kansas City Shuffle**

**Chapter 5**

Dean closed and locked his door, then turned on the stereo in an effort to keep from being heard by others in the house. Once he was sure he wouldn't be overheard, he sat on the bed.

"Ok, so my brother and I were on a hunt. And the next thing I remember, I wake up in this bed. And I'm still me but the people here in the house are my parents. Now where I'm from, mom died 23 years ago and Dad died about 8 months ago. So you can bet I was a bit confused. Now as far as I can tell some things are the same as where I'm from and others are not. Like I have the same parents and brother, but some hunters I know were never hunters. I don't really have a clue as to what's going on, other than that my "family" thinks I've gone nuts. I spent 3 days in a psych ward before I convinced them I was sane. But my brother is watching me like a hawk and I'm afraid he's going to start suspecting something's going on. Damn younger brother is smart no mater what world I'm in..." he looked over the list he had made so far as to things that were the same and things that were different.

"Hm...well that's not really what I was expecting, but I'll look into a few things, see what I can figure out. In the mean time do your best to avoid people who would know you and try to blend in."

"Blend in? Avoid people? I'm living at my parent's home dude. And they all want to talk. It's the most unhealthy thing I've ever encountered. All they want to do is have me tell them how I'm feeling! It's driving me nuts! I tried to go out for a walk to make some phone calls, and John stops me to ask where I'm going. It's like I'm on lock down. And dinner, now there was some fun! Let me tell you how fun it is to be fed food by a mom who died when you were only 4!! I swear I'm going to scream if I have to have another meal with them!" Dean ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Look I'm sure it's difficult but I'll get back to you as soon as I can. In the meantime keep a low profile and try to stay calm. Yelling at them won't help any. It's not their fault."

Dean sighed again. Jason was right, he just didn't understand how much it hurt to look at his mom. "I know. Thanks for your help man."

After he hung up, Dean sat for a few minutes and stared at the wall. You can do this. It's just like playing a part during a hunt. You're an FBI agent, or an Insurance Salesman, or...

He shook his head. No it's not like that...because...they're mom and dad and Sammy and it hurts to look at them, to hear them speak. He decided that he wanted to sleep, so he got up, shut the stereo off, and grabbed his bag. He threw it on the bed, and pulled out a pair of sweat pants. He briefly picked up the bottle of pills Sam had given him, but quickly tossed them back in the bag. A shower was what he needed, not pills.

He headed down the hall until he found the bathroom. Once inside, he turned the water on, and quickly stripped. Just before getting in the shower, he caught site of himself in the mirror and paused. He ran a hand through his hair. It was his hair, only longer than he liked. It was his body, but without the scars, and definately not as toned as he was used to. He wasn't overweight, but he wasn't as muscular either. He had noticed that about Sammy also. Their bodies lacked the years of training and fighting. The thing that struck him the most was his missing necklace. He couldn't remember a time of not wearing it, and yet it wasn't there. He put his hand on the spot where he always felt it, then shook his head.

"You're wasting water..." he muttered as he climbed in the shower. The hot shower felt wonderful and he didn't want to get out, but after a while he figured he had used up enough water for the time being and he got out. Instead of wandering around in a towel as he was used to, he put on the sweat pants before heading to his room. He ran into his brother in the hall.

"Think you used up enough water?" Sam asked.

"No Sammy, I left you just enough to get soapy!" He smirked and disappeared into his room.

Sam stared after his brother. Dean was swaggering. It was the only way he could describe it. And his answer? Was Dean and yet it wasn't. It was like this was not his brother but a slightly altered version. Dean 2.0 or something. Shaking his head, he went downstairs.

"Dad, if you want, I'll take Dean down to get his car tomorrow. I have a feeling he'll be sleeping in and I know you want to get back to the shop."

"Sure Sam, that'd be good. I was planning on working a half a day, but it would be better if I was there all day. Thanks."

"No problem."

Sam walked back upstairs and paused at his brother's door. He turned the knob and found it unlocked this time. He knocked as he opened.

"Sammy? What the hell is it this time? Dude, I could've been in here jerking off!" Came the reply. Dean was doing pushups. Sam blinked.

"Why are you doing pushups?" He asked, ignoring for the time Dean's crude response.

"I'm out of shape and I can't sleep." Dean responded with a 'duh!' tone of voice.

"Well if you're having trouble sleeping, then try the Xanax. They'll help you sleep." He leaned against the doorframe as he watched his brother doing pushups.

"Don't need any drugs to sleep. You should be doing pushups too! You're out of shape. So what did you want, other than to bug me?"

"I was going to tell you that I'm taking you down tomorrow to get your car. What time do you think you'll be up?" Sam wondered when his brother had become concerned with being in shape.

"Nowhere to be, other than that, so I'm planning on sleeping in. Say, noon?"

Sam laughed, "No seriously, when do you think you'll be up?"

"Seriously, noon! What's so funny? Can't a guy sleep in? Or does that mean I'm crazy?" Dean stopped long enough to give his brother a look Sam couldn't interpret.

"No, that's ok, noon is fine. I'll see you when you get up." Sam backed out closing the door and walking to his room.

Something was wrong with Dean and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

After Sam left, Dean finished up his set of pushups, then did some crunches. Those were a bit harder as his body was in fact out of shape. He finally laid down, and after a while of tossing and turning in the too comfortable bed, he fell asleep.

Sam was up early as was his usual routine. This morning was different though, because Dean was up also. Not long after Sam had woken up, he had heard Dean stirring, and despite Dean's usual habit of sleeping in, he had gotten up, and started a pot of coffee. Sam got up, and turned on his laptop. He was hoping to have heard some responses to the emails he had sent out last night. They had found an unusual statue near the site where he had found Dean. It had writing on it that he couldn't even begin to place. So he had taken lots of pictures, making sure NOT to touch anything, and sent them off to some people he hoped could help. The first two weren't that helpful, but the third person said he may know what it was and would get back to Sam.

"Well good news I think. One of our friends said he may have an answer. He'll let me know for sure as soon as he's positive on what it says."

Dean didn't say anything, just sat staring at the coffee cup in front of him.

"Hey, that's good news right?" Sam asked.

He finally looked up. "Yeah, sorry I was just thinking about what I had to go home to. Or what I don't have."

Sam raised an eyebrow. That seemed to be enough to get Dean to continue. "Well it's like a bad country song. I lost my fiancée, I lost my job. I was back home because I really didn't have anywhere else to go. The place was hers...Oh God...you don't think he's talked to her do you?"

Sam was shocked to have Dean be so open, but then reminded himself that this Dean was different from his Dean in a lot of ways. "I don't know really. He's probably trying to avoid as many people as possible. Once he figured out he wasn't in Kansas anymore, then I'm sure he would've isolated himself from everyone until he can figure out what's going on."

"I hope so. I wouldn't want to get back and find a mess worse than when I left. I really don't know what I'll do when I get back. I suppose I'll work at Dad's shop until I can get things settled and get my feet back under me."

It suddenly struck Sam that wherever Dean was, he had a Mom and a Dad.

"What are they like? Mom and Dad I mean?" He didn't know why he asked, was almost afraid of the answer, and yet he had to ask at the same time.

"They're like mom and dad. I mean mom is always worrying about the little things and dad's got his shop. He owns a garage. Mom cooks the best food, and no matter what, she's always there. I can talk to her about everything. And you? My Sam's the smartest guy I know. He's going to the University of Texas majoring in Psychology. I didn't even think about it, I just went home when I found Jess and my boss together. It was the only place I knew I would be safe. And now I'm here."

"Jess?" Sam felt his heart skip a beat when Dean had said that.

"Jessica. My ex-fiancée. Wow...that's the first time I've said that. My ex-fiancée. Are you ok?" Dean noticed that Sam was looking a little pale.

"What was her last name?" he asked. He knew it wouldn't be the same Jessica, yet he had to ask.

"Johnson. Her name's Jessica Johnson. I met her in New York on vacation." Sam visibly relaxed. "Why do you ask?"

"I...the thing that killed our mom...mine and Dean's mom...also killed my girlfriend. I was Pre-Law at Stamford. Her name was Jessica Moore. It just took me by surprise when you said Jessica."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I could see that. So you never knew mom? I mean your mom?"

Sam shook his head. "I saw her once though, Dean and I were investigating a haunting in our old house, the house that she died in. We thought it might be the thing that killed her. Turned out to be a poltergeist. Anyway, she appeared briefly, before destroying herself in the process of killing the poltergeist. She did it to save us."

"Wow. I can't imagine that. Without mom or dad I...wow..."

Both boys fell silent as Sam looked for more information on the object they had found.

Sam was pacing the length of the living room while he waited for his brother. It had been two o-clock before there had been any signs of life from Dean's room. And it had been another half hour and he wasn't showing any sign of coming downstairs.

"Quit wearing a hole in the carpet, he'll be down when he's ready," his mother commented from the sofa, flipping through a magazine. Sam sat down in the recliner.

"Have you noticed that Dean seems different?"

Mary looked at him. "Different how? You haven't seen your brother in what, almost a year?"

Sam shook his head. "That's not it. He keeps calling me 'Sammy'. No one's called me that in what, 13 years? And he was doing pushups. His speech is different too. It's like he's Dean, but only different somehow."

"Sam, you're brother's been through a lot these last few days. Leave him be, ok?" Mary gave her youngest a stern look.

"Yeah, ok mom."

They heard Dean before they saw him. He came stomping down the stairs, muttering. "Too many damned pushups...who would've thought 50 was too many damned pushups. Can't move my damned arms..." He rounded the corner and saw them both sitting there and came to a halt.

"Uh...hi...So Sammy, you ready? I want to get my baby and take her for a test drive!"

Sam sighed and stood up. Really, there was something different about his brother, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Since Sam had taken a taxi from the airport straight to the hospital, they were borrowing their mom's car. The drive to the garage was silent. When they got there, Dean was out before the car had fully stopped, and had gone inside to get his keys. Sam followed after.

"...rotated the tires, changed the oil, and checked all the fluids. Did a front end alignment, checked the spare, and the engine. She's running just fine. You've done a good job, keeping up with the maintenance on her."

Dean nodded as he carefully checked over the car. After he had seemingly checked over every inch of it, he finally nodded.

"Ok Sammy, I'll see you back at the house. I'm gonna take her for a drive, make sure she's running smooth. I won't be long." Dean slipped into the driver's seat, turned the key, and grinned.

"That sound never gets old he said, before backing out and turning onto the street. Taking off with more speed than was necessary, he disappeared around the corner.

Sam shook his head. "I'll see you at home dad." His father nodded, before heading into the garage.

Sam got back in his mom's car and drove home.

Dean was nervous when he knocked on the door. It wasn't long before the door opened and he saw a familiar face. He shifted from one foot to the other.

"Dean?" Missouri asked.

Dean nodded. She smiled at him. "Calm down, boy! You're as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! I'm not going to bite. Come in!" She stepped aside so that he could enter.

"Sit down over here," she pointed to a sofa. He sat down, then looked at the coffee table. Before she could say anything he looked up, "I remember, no feet on the table or you hit me with a wooden spoon..."

She smiled. "Ok Dean, so tell me this situation that only I can fix."

"Well it all started 4 days ago. See, my brother and I, we hunt things. Evil things. And he and I were on a hunt. I don't know how it happened, but I suppose at some point I was knocked out. When I woke up, I was in a bed, in a house, where I didn't belong. See, my mom was killed when I was 4, and my dad found out that it was something evil. He started learning about that stuff, and he raised my brother and I to hunt them with him. Then about 8 months ago, the thing that killed mom got him sort of, and well, now it's just Sammy and me. But here? Here mom and dad are alive, and Sam is Sam only he's not. And they all think I'm crazy because I'm not acting like I'm supposed to. But you, I think you can see that I'm telling the truth right? I mean, you're the psychic and all that. You see it right?" Dean leaned forward and stared at her.

Oh you poor boy, Missouri thought to herself. You are so hurt inside from all of this. From seeing your parents, from being away from your brother. And you've got no one to turn to here. She nodded at him.

"You've got yourself in quite a jam. I can definitely sense that you aren't supposed to be here. Physically you are, but mentally you aren't."

Dean sighed and sat back. Someone got it, someone understood him. He felt relief wash over him. "Oh man you don't know how happy you just made me! But how do you think I got here? And how do I get back?"

Missouri shook her head. "Truthfully Dean I don't know. I honestly am not sure if you can get back from this place. At least not without help from your world."

"Sammy will be working on it from that end. I'm sure he'll be looking for a way to get me back. I just don't know if I can hold out for him." Just then his cell phone started ringing. He glancee down to see it was Sam's number. He glared at it and ignored it.

"Dean, I know how hard it is for you. I can feel your pain, but you have to go back to the house. You have to continue on as if nothing is wrong until you can get back to your home. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. Everything you do will have repercussions for the Dean that is supposed to be here. If you mess things up with his family, he will have to fix it. I know that it physically hurts you to see your mom, and I understand that. But you can't ignore her. Or your dad, or Sam."

Dean ran a hand over his face. "It's hard," he said quietly.

"I know it is, but you're strong. I can feel that. You've been through a lot in your short life, and you can get through this. You just have to hold out long enough for your brother to figure out how to get you back. Now I think you should head back home. They're worried about you. But don't get angry at them because of it. Just try to reassure them that you are ok." She stood up and Dean followed her to the door.

"If it gets to be too much, call me. I'll help as best as I can." Dean nodded and walked back to his car.

As he drove away Missouri sighed.

"That boy is so strong, but I don't think he's strong enough for this."


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Kansas City Shuffle Part 6 of 6 

Rating: PG13 I suppose, for minor swearing

Characters: Dean, Sam, John, Mary

Notes: Thanks http://michelle2007. for the great beta job! No real episode warnings, but is AU in that Dean isn't really in Kansas anymore…It's finished, YAY! Thanks to all you wonderful people who reviewed! You're reviews kept my muse going! I'm glad you all liked it so far and I hope you enjoy the ending as well!

Disclaimers: I own nothing, I just like to play with what's not mine.

Summary: I suck at summaries but here goes. Dean ends up in a parallel world, only he doesn't know that this is what happened. To make matters worse, his 'Parents' begin to question his sanity.

Kansas City Shuffle Chapter 6

After his talk with Missouri, Dean drove around the town for a while. He wanted to think about what she had said. Whatever he did here, like spend three days in the psychiatric ward, his counterpart would have to deal with. He thought it might be smart to leave himself a message somehow, maybe on his laptop. That way, when he got back to his own time, his other self would have a clue what all had happened.

When he finally found himself pulling up to the house, it was a little after four. He parked the car in the driveway, then headed into the house. He had a feeling he wouldn't get very far, and he was right.

"Dean, why didn't you answer my call?" Sam stopped him at the foot of the stairs.

"I was driving Sammy, playing the music loud, trying to relax. I didn't even hear the phone ring."

"Oh." Dean grinned at Sam, then took the stairs 2 at a time. Sam followed him up.

"Hey, I'm actually leaving tomorrow. I forgot I had a test Monday morning, so I should get back and do some studying before then."

"Ok." Dean stretched out on his bed, shoes and all. Sam frowned but didn't say anything.

"If you need anything though, I want you to call me, ok? No matter what time. Like I said before, you and I used to be able to talk about anything. I don't want to lose that."

Dean nodded. "Don't worry, if I gotta talk to someone, you'll be the first person I call Sammy."

Sam sighed and headed to his own room, closing the door behind him.

Dean opened his computer, and typed up a message to his other self.

"Dear me...

Well I know you know I've been here, so there are some things you need to know. One, no one believes you when you tell them they aren't real. Bad things happen. But you were lucky. I'm good at lying so you were released from the psych ward. Um...oh you should probably apologize to that cop, Bill I think his name was. You punched him, twice. And kicked him. And kinda knocked him out. So yeah, you should probably apologize. I'd do it but I don't like cops. Oh, and you should definitely work on your muscles! Pushups, 50 of them a night to start! And sit ups. And try running or something! Get in shape dude!

So...you can talk to Missouri Mosely, she knows what's going on, she's a psychic, and she could probably fill in some blanks. So yeah uh, hope you didn't screw things up on my end and uh...have a nice life...

Dean"

Shrugging, he saved the file to the desktop so that it would be there when he...er...his other self opened the computer. It may not be good but it got the point across. He heard a knock at his door and swore that when he was back in his own body, he'd take a week to live somewhere where there were no doors for people to knock on, nor any people to ask how you were doing.

"Yeah?"

"Dean, it's mom, can I come in?"

No, you can't, I don't really feel like trying to swallow my heart back down to where it belongs...

"Yeah."

The door opened and his mom stepped into the room.

"I just wanted to tell you that we're having the left over pot roast for dinner tonight. So if you wanted to maybe eat early, since you missed breakfast, and lunch, you could come down now and fix yourself a plate."

Dean must have looked surprised because she smiled and said, "It's ok, I understand that you're still a little embarrassed by the whole situation. So if you would prefer to eat up here, that would be ok with me."

He found himself smiling back as he got up and followed her into the kitchen. He made himself a plate of food, which Mary heated for him, then took it back up to his room to eat. Once the door was closed, Dean sat down and proceeded to savor every bite. It was the most delicious food he had ever eaten. It beat all the fast food joints and mom and pop places all to hell. Because it was made by his mom, for him. Dean wondered briefly what it would be like if he stayed. If for some reason Sammy couldn't get him back. Then he shook his head. No, he couldn't stay here, he'd go crazy. Plus he knew what was out there, and if he stayed, something might happen to this family and he didn't think he could handle that. It was better to believe that Sam would get him back, and that this Dean would be able to live a long healthy life with his family. After finishing he took his plate downstairs and left it in the kitchen. He wasn't really sure where everyone was, but was glad that at least for the moment the house was empty.

Upon returning to his room, he opened the laptop and added a few more lines to his letter to his other self. Dean seriously needed to update his wardrobe. These clothes were really bad!

Once he was done with that, he did his pushups, then some crunches, then he sat back down on the bed. He debated doing more research, but settled instead on sleeping. If he was asleep, then they couldn't bother him. But as he laid there he tossed and turned thinking about how his Sam was doing, and how he was going to get back. Finally remembering what Sam had said about the prescription, he decided one wouldn't hurt him. He popped open the bottle, took out one of the little tablets, and swallowed it down. He lay back down, and waited for sleep to arrive. It didn't take long.

Sammy was excited. He had figured out what had happened. Now they were waiting on the solution to arrive. No estimates on how long that might be though. Dean heard Sam explaining about what had happened and it all came flooding back to him.

Yes that was right! There had been a statue, that was rather ugly, and Dean had told it as such. It had writing on it that had looked like Latin, and he tried to translate it. There was some dirt covering a word, so he reached up to brush it off, and that was when it had happened. A flash of light and boom, he had woken up in hell.

Dean heard knocking but Sam wasn't going towards the door. The knocking continued, followed by his name being called out. Dean drug his eyes open and found sunlight streaming into his room. He groaned and buried his head in his pillow.

"g'way," came his muffled reply. The door swung open.

"Hey Dean, I'm headed to the airport, and wanted to say goodbye. Dad's driving me. He totaled your car by the way..." Dean shoved himself upright when he heard that.

"He did what to my car!?!"

Sam started laughing. "I knew that'd get you up, it always does. Listen, I'm off to the airport but I just wanted to say bye, and remind you that if you need anything to give me a call."

Dean nodded and buried his head back in the pillow. Sam was pretty sure he heard a few choice words coming from the general direction of the lump that was his brother. He grinned and closed the door.

Dean lay there while he tried to get the fog to clear from his mind. If what he was seeing was real, then Sam had it all figured out, and in no time he would be home. If he could only figure out why he had seen Sam last night, but not the two nights before. What was different? He rubbed at his eyes and his stomach growled.

"Well I suppose I should feed you," he commented as he got out of bed. A short time later he found himself downstairs, rummaging around in the kitchen. Not knowing where anything was, it took him a while to find what he wanted. Just as he was about to pour a bowl of cereal he heard his mom come in the room.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" She asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

He nodded and sat down with his cereal. "Do you want anything else? I could make you waffles or pancakes. Maybe some bacon?"

Dean shook his head. Mary sighed and sat down at the table.

"Dean, I have to ask you something, and I want you to be completely honest with me."

Dean looked up and met his mother's serious eyes.

"Are you, or aren't you my son?"

Dean choked on the spoonful of cereal he was eating.

"Uh, yeah mom, of course I am!" he stumbled the words together.

"I don't think you are. You look like my son, you act like my son, but deep down I don't think you are my son. Remember back at the hospital, what you said? You said you weren't my son, and that I had to see it. And I do see it. I didn't want to at first, but now I do. The way you are always calling your brother 'Sammy' and the way it seems to make you almost sick to eat with us. What's going on, and please tell me the truth."

And he did. Lord help him, Dean Winchester caved under the look on his mother's face.

"Somehow, your son and I got switched, I think it has something to do with this object I touched. My brother, Sammy, my Sam, he's working on solving it, and I don't think it will be long before I'm back to where I belong, and you'll have your son back. And you're right, it hurts to see you and dad because where I'm from...you..." Dean suddenly realized what he was about to say and shut up. He jumped from the table and made a dash for his bedroom. But Mary followed close behind him.

"No Dean, tell me. Please? I want to know."

Dean stopped halfway up the stairs and put his head down. He put a hand to his face and groaned.

That's when it struck Mary. What he said now made sense. "I died, didn't I? Your real mother, she died, and your father too? It's just you and Sam, and that's why it was so difficult for you to sit with us, and that's why you said what you did that first morning."

Dean's shoulders slumped and he slowly slid to the floor until he was sitting on one of the steps. He buried his face in his hand, not wanting to look at her. Mary sat down next to him.

"Oh Dean, I'm sorry. I don't really understand how it happened, but I see it now, and I'm sorry that I didn't see it sooner. I should have listened to you and to myself, but I didn't want to. And I made you suffer because of it."

Mary tentatively put her arm around Dean's shoulder. He visibly flinched but didn't pull away.

"Mom, she died when I was 4. 6 months to the day after Sammy was born. There was a fire, and Dad put Sammy in my arms, and told me to take him outside as fast as I could. And I did, but once I got outside I saw the fire and I froze. That was when Dad came out, and he picked up me and Sammy and he ran with us away from the house. Mom never came out." He leaned into Mary, his mother only not. She gave him a squeeze, silently encouraging him to go on. Dean had held it all in for so long. She may not be his mother, but in a way she was, and that was enough to open the flood gates.

"Dad said she had died pinned to the ceiling, but everyone called him crazy except this one lady who told him about what's out there, in the dark. And after that Dad learned more, and he started hunting that stuff. Sammy and I, we grew up hunting evil things. But then Sammy wanted to go to college he didn't understand so he left us, he left me. And then Dad went missing, so I went and drug Sammy back into the hunt. But he refused, wanted to go back to school, so he went back. But then his girlfriend was killed, same way as mom. And Sammy came back and we started hunting again. And then the demon that killed mom and Jess, it got our dad too. He traded his life for mine. I was supposed to die but he took my place. And now it's me and Sammy, then I wake up, and I see this picture, and it's me, and Sammy and you and dad and I thought I was in hell. I thought this must be what hell was like, because I was in this place, and it was home, it was the home I had never had. Except everyone knew things and I was missing information, and you thought I was crazy. I just want to go back to Sam, and get away from here. It's too normal and I'm not cut out for that. I wouldn't survive here, even if I could get used to looking at you without feeling sad." Dean raised his head and froze. It wasn't his mom sitting next to him anymore. It was Sam. And he wasn't on the stairs of a house, he was in a field.

"Sammy?"

Sam gave him a sad small smile. "It worked. Welcome back, Dean."

"How much...of that, did you hear?"

Sam shook his head. "Not much..." but Dean could tell by the look on his face, that he was lying.

"Spill it, at what part did I return here?" Dean was mad. He had opened up to his mother, only to have it end up being Sammy who heard it. Sammy wasn't meant to hear it. He was supposed to be strong in front of Sam.

"Only from the part where you described what you saw when you woke up there. I'm sorry Dean, I really am."

Dean pushed himself to his feet and turned away from Sam.

"Don't ok? Just don't. Let's go, I'm sure my other self wasn't very helpful in getting rid of whatever it is that haunts this place and I sure could stand to kill something." And just like that the mask that Sam was getting so tired of was back in it's place. He sighed as he followed his brother to their car to retrieve the needed weapons.

"So how did you fix it anyway?" Dean asked as he rummaged around in the trunk.

Sam sighed. "I sent pictures of the statue and writing to a guy Ellen recommended. He translated it as a curse. He put together a way to reverse it. Something your counter-part had to read, while touching the statue. That had been fun to convince him to do! So next time you find a statue in a field that has writing on it, DON'T TOUCH IT!" Sam said, giving his brother a playful smack on the back of the head.

"...took my place. I told you Sam this isn't going to work. See nothing hap...mom? MOM!" Mary looked at her son and knew instantly that he was her Dean. She felt a pang of loss though that she hadn't gotten to say goodbye to the other Dean. She wrapped her arms around her son's neck and hugged him close.

"Oh Dean it's good to have you back. I know about what happened, the other Dean told me. And there are some things I need to tell you about..."

As Dean hugged her back, Mary swore that she would never let her sons suffer like the other Dean had. She couldn't fix anything for him, but she would make sure her sons didn't suffer such loss. And she was thankful for the however brief time she had spent with him. She hoped she had given him some closure even if it was just a small amount.


End file.
